Average heating expenses? Car winterizing? (Milwaukee: low income, section 8, apartments)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You should let any turbo car sit for at least 15-30 secs after you park it regardless of the climate...especially if you've been beatin on it
True I forgot to mention that, I have a 05 SAAB 9-5 Aero Black on Black and I love it!
http://www.trollhattansaab.net/wp-content/2004%20Saab%209-5.jpg (broken link)
Last edited by Milwaukee City; 01-07-2009 at 02:18 PM..
My tips that Ive picked up for cars in winter is....
-Invest in a can of the ice melt spray. Its really cheap and you can get it at walmart or wherever. Its great to defreeze a lock, door, gas cover and possible your windshield and wipers if needed.
-Make sure your tires are good, in winter and cold, just like a balloon, they tend to lose more air. and when driving in the snow, its really important too
-basically just keeping up basic maintenence.
-Keeping gas in the tank. Always try to keep at least half a tank. The gas line freezing is a real pain. Also getting some of that fuel injector cleaner is good too, make sure it helps the gas line not freeze up. Like 3 dollars at any gas station, walmart, etc..
-The salt has a tendency to collect on the car and windshield, make sure your car isnt starting to rust anywhere, the salt makes it worse. Also, always make sure there is windshield wiper fluid, the salt can really make your windshield dirty and difficult to see out of
-Make sure your windshield wipers are good and wont snap off. Make sure you scrape all the ice that collected on them otherwise they will leave streaks and make your sight worse.
-Make sure to have an emergency kit in your trunk. A snow brush with a scraper, extra blankets, boots (in case you have to walk), jumper cables, a cell phone for emergency calls, kittly litter, a candle and matches (it can keep your car decently warm) and some snacks and drinks in case you are sitting for a while.
-If a rock or something else hits your window and puts a small chip in it, it will spread and the crack will get very large. If you get a small crack, try to get it at least patched right away so it doesnt spread. (I started out with a half in crack in the corner and in the last three months it has spread all the way from the top to the bottom. )
-Try to always give yourself 15-20 minutes warm up time before you leave. Investing in a starter is GREAT. (Im spoiled :P)
____
Now for the heat. Defenitly try to find a place with heat included. It can be so unpredictable and you dont want a huge bill to pop up in the mail either. They are starting to cut off electric earlier now (Ive heard 900$, 1500$ and 1000$ so its really important to stay on top of it too) Also, I defenitly dont recommend going on the budget plan, its not a good idea with the cold. They can stick you with one huge lump sum at the end of the plan time.
Also, like a guy said earlier, make sure the place you move into is set up for the cold. I moved into what seemed like a beautiful apartment, only to find out that it was recently rebuilt and when they rebuilt it, they skimped on the wall width, insulation, window seals and the door had a 1/4 inch gap at the bottom. Guess where all my money went? Yup, you guess it, the heat bill.
Last edited by Andrea_Mamie; 01-14-2009 at 12:31 AM..
Reason: added more info
-Try to always give yourself 15-20 minutes warm up time before you leave. Investing in a starter is GREAT. (Im spoiled :P)
Excuse my naivete, but what's a starter? And do you just leave your car running for 15-20 min each time before you drive??? That seems like such a long time.
Regarding heat....
Here's what confuses me. Getting a rental that includes heat in the rent is fine and dandy, but there's no such thing as free heat. Your landlord isn't giving you free heat out of the graciousness of his/her heart. So in one way or another (ie higher rent, worse location, etc) you're still paying for the heat. And if they've just included it in the rent, the landlord is hoping that heat costs won't exceed the additional rent over the course of the year and sort of take a gamble. For the renter, it's just a matter of paying a bit every month or getting slapped with it in the winter months.
Here's what confuses me. Getting a rental that includes heat in the rent is fine and dandy, but there's no such thing as free heat. Your landlord isn't giving you free heat out of the graciousness of his/her heart. So in one way or another (ie higher rent, worse location, etc) you're still paying for the heat. And if they've just included it in the rent, the landlord is hoping that heat costs won't exceed the additional rent over the course of the year and sort of take a gamble. For the renter, it's just a matter of paying a bit every month or getting slapped with it in the winter months.
Right? Or am I missing something?
By all means, by our guest & get a place that is say $100. cheaper & does not include heat. You'll regret it. There are plenty of people on this forum telling you to get a place that includes heat, it's your choice whether you want to listen to us or not.
An automatic starter is a thing you can go buy (usually at places that also install car alarms, tinting, etc...) and when you push a button on the remote from a certain range, I think its like a 100 feet or something like that, it starts your car automatically so that you dont have to go outside and start it yourself. Its usually about 150 bucks and also can include an alarm with it. Defenitly a good investment. At the end of the day at work, you dont want to get in a cold car and you defenitly dont want to stay any longer than you need to. 20 min before you leave, just go to the window, push the button and your car will be nice and toasty when you get outside
In the cold, your car will usually take 15-20 min to warm up, including warm up enough inside so you dont freeze while sitting in it. Its also not a good idea to just jump in your car and go without warming up the engine at least a little bit. It puts alot of strain on your car. I always try to allow myself that much time to let it warm up
Now as for 'free heat'... Actually it basically is free. I was paying 700 a month, in a pretty good area, in a building that included a pool, gym, storage, laundry and other things. For a two bedroom, newly remodeled with all new appliances and carpet is a really good deal.
I could have had the heat set at 90 all year long and it wouldnt have affected my rent or anything else. Of course the landlord hopes that it wont cost him alot, but thats the risk they take by including it.
Ive noticed (having stayed at many locations on the northside myself, and yes in the hood) that most of the places actually dont include heat. Its not something the slumlords want to do. They dont include anything good, just a decent price because, well, its a rundown, disgusting, dangerous, outdated place. The northside being one of the 'worse' areas, and yes it is. They dont really try to provide anything extra in with the price.
Ive noticed that most of the time also, its landlords that have many, many properties, or large apt complexes that include the free heat. The Landlords that do it on the side for an extra income tend not to be able to afford it. But the companies that only handle properties can afford it and include it as an incentive to come and rent.
Its defenitly a good thing to find a place with heat included. Even if you pay a little more rent, you wont get unexpected massive heat bills. (WE energies is really great at that...). And have the added costs added on each month.
Last edited by Andrea_Mamie; 01-14-2009 at 01:01 PM..
Reason: added more
Ive noticed (having stayed at many locations on the northside myself, and yes in the hood) that most of the places actually dont include heat. Its not something the slumlords want to do. They dont include anything good, just a decent price because, well, its a rundown, disgusting, dangerous, outdated place. The northside being one of the 'worse' areas, and yes it is. They dont really try to provide anything extra in with the price.
The last place I lived in was on Franklin Pl. right off of Brady. It was a hellhole but my boyfriend & I had broken up & I needed a place quick so I took it. Heat was not included & that was one reason why I moved out of there. The place was not winterized well at all: bad windows, the door for the teeny porch just blasted wind in, it was totally ridiculous. Even sealing the windows up did nothing for my heating bills & the place was STILL cold even if I had the heat up to 70, which I really didn't want to do. It was on the 2nd floor, what happened to the concept of heat rising?? Not all places are like that of course & I'm hoping to move back to the east side but I will NOT move into a place that doesn't include heat, no way.
Of course the landlord hopes that it wont cost him alot, but thats the risk they take by including it.
I guess I'm just a skeptic. I don't understand why a businessman would offer something gratis without there being some return, and I'm wondering what that payoff is. Seems like hoping for a mild winter would be a pretty dumb business strategy in a place like Milwaukee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karfar
By all means, by our guest & get a place that is say $100. cheaper & does not include heat. You'll regret it. There are plenty of people on this forum telling you to get a place that includes heat, it's your choice whether you want to listen to us or not.
I wouldn't be posting in this forum if I wasn't interested in the opinions and advice of others. That being said, I'm not one to just blindly accept everything other people say without giving it a little thought and asking some questions first. I like to figure out why things are as they are. I'm not blasting rentals that include free heat, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm paying for this free perk.
Ive never heard any consequences or anything that made me regret it. Ive also never heard anyone say that they have either. I just asked my mom, who is also a landlord, and shes never heard of any sort of scam or bad intentions in offering it.IMO, if a landlord is trying to scam you, or has bad intentions with it, he is a bad apple out of the bunch.
Ive never heard any consequences or anything that made me regret it. Ive also never heard anyone say that they have either. I just asked my mom, who is also a landlord, and shes never heard of any sort of scam or bad intentions in offering it.IMO, if a landlord is trying to scam you, or has bad intentions with it, he is a bad apple out of the bunch.
I wouldn't go as far as saying they're trying to scam someone or have some sort of evil intention. Just thinking of the old adage "nothing in life is free" and that surely people aren't offering to pay for heat just to be a generous person with no benefit whatsoever to themselves. There's gotta be some sort of tradeoff. Or maybe that's just the norm in Milwaukee when it comes to housing and heat? Or perhaps the tradeoff is that the rental unit gets rented faster and doesn't sit empty on the market.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
